By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
On an early fall morning, the fields behind Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm in Arlington buzzed with kinetic energy. Elders leaning on canes, parents pushing toddlers in wagons, and teens with pruners in hand made the short journey north by carload to pick fresh produce. The occasion was a community U-Pick organized by Tulalip’s Diabetes Care & Prevention Program, in partnership with Garden Treasures, to reconnect tribal members of all ages with the land’s luscious bounty and time-honored dietary traditions.
The annual U-Pick is part of a concerted effort by the Diabetes Prevention team to reverse rising trends of diabetes and metabolic disorders in Native communities. By encouraging people to harvest their own fruits and vegetables, the program is generating a path to healthier living through cultural reconnection and food sovereignty.
“Over the last 14 years, our partnership with the farmers at Garden Treasures has been a steady source of learning and shared purpose,” explained program coordinator Roni Leahy. “When COVID struck, and we could no longer bring healthy people into the health clinic because of the risks of treating those who were ill, we turned to the farm as a safe place to gather. Out of that difficult time, the U-Pick days were born. What started as a way to keep our community connected and nourished during the pandemic has now become one of the most joyful and inspiring traditions we share”
Nestled in the Stillaguamish Valley, Garden Treasures supplies a wide seasonal palette of vegetables, berries, and fruit. From tomatoes and beans to peaches, potatoes, and winter squash. The farm’s ownership is committed to naturally grown, bio-regenerative production that makes it an ideal partner for health and community initiatives to provide access to the freshest farm-grown produce possible.
For our Diabetes Care & Prevention Program, the opportunity to host another U-Pick at Garden Treasures unites with a larger mission to restore traditional diets. Staff eagerly guided more than 500 community members through the farm’s acres of freshly grown food before organizing an on-site, do-it-yourself pickling activity.
“We want to bring people back to what our ancestors knew – that food is medicine,” said food sovereignty coordinator Rudy Madrigal. He organized the pickling activity that was well-received by one family after another who pickled their favorite veggies. “A big part of food sovereignty is education and teaching yourself and your family how to preserve, so we decided to offer a pickling station. It’s super easy to learn and a fun, family-friendly activity that the kids can do, too.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about education, making learning fun for our people, and changing what we’re eating at home so we can live longer, healthier lives.”
A truly memorable event for those in attendance who sat mesmerized as elders shared memories of picking fruits and veggies from their childhoods, preserving and canning with aunties and grandmothers, and even shared a recipe or two for hearty, nutritious stews that are primo options for a vegetable medley.
“This is such an exciting event. I absolutely love it!” exclaimed rez-renowned chef Lynette Jimicum as she showed off her harvest of Roma tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onions, and zucchini. “Everything here is so fresh and good for our bodies. I can’t wait to cook with my vegetable harvest.
“There are definitely some people here who are seeing how their food is grown for the very first time, and you can see the excitement in their faces as they roam from garden to garden,” added the soon-to-be Tulalip elder. “I watched one family be in complete awe in the kale garden. They thought kale grew in a tree, not low on the ground like lettuce. Now, they’ll have the memory forever and, hopefully, they add kale as staple to their kitchen and laugh over that story for a long, long time.”
By harvesting their own food, the U-Pick participants bypassed industrial food chains filled with refined sugars and processed carbohydrates. They also reclaimed, even if just for the day, what colonization intended to sever – the connection between people, land, and nourishment.
The Diabetes Care team sees these U-Pick opportunities not as a one-time outreach, but a seedbed for sustainable change. It’s about mobility, quality of life, and dignity for all our people. When elders are stronger, when parents feel less disease burden, when children grow up with taste memories of sweet berries and savory vegetables instead of sugary snacks, the ripple effects are profound.
“To witness our community’s growing excitement for harvesting, cooking, and experimenting with new foods is not only deeply meaningful to me, personally, but also reflects the very heart of our Program’s mission,” shared Roni. She’s been diligently coordinating diabetes prevention in Tulalip for the past 17 years.
“It shows that families are feeding their children more nutritious meals, perhaps even rethinking their relationship with food and how food affects our bodies, and becoming more creative in their kitchens with colorful, nutritious foods,” she continued. “Seeing this transformation fills me with hope because it affirms that through resilience, collaboration, and tradition, we are cultivating healthier generations for the future.”
The link between consistent nutritional habits and metabolic health is well documented. Those who regularly eat foods rich in fiber, phytonutrients, and low in processed sugars reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. For Native communities disproportionately impacted by these conditions, nutritional education is a powerful tool. By bringing elders, adults, and children together at a local farm under the promise of fresh food, Tulalip’s Diabetes Care & Prevention Program is fighting common ailments in our community, while also sowing the seeds for a future rooted in traditional teachings and vibrant bodies.
This fall’s U-Pick may have wrapped up in a single day, but its harvest lives on. In edible memories, in strengthened bodies, and in renewed commitment to establishing the mind-body-spirt connection within our shared Tulalip community. And that’s a harvest worth celebrating.